Commandeer
by Aiwe Saito
Summary: Will only wanted to find Elizabeth. Adelaide simply wished to forget her husband's death. Elizabeth just wanted to be married. Unfortunately, they all have to go through one highly undependable, awfully dishonest person. Captain Jack Sparrow. Slightly AU.
1. Chapter 1

"Weigh anchor."

Will glared at the heavily-kohled pirate captain, a little more than annoyed.

"I'm sorry, I thought I heard something."

"You did, lad. Weigh anchor."

"Has the oh-so-great-Captain Sparrow failed to notice that we're in the middle of the open ocean?"

Will was getting more and more frustrated by the second. He had come on this ship to get Elizabeth's freedom-- now, he was God knows where with Jack, still without the compass or a plan and at the moment, preparing to drop anchor; something else that would take time out of getting back to Elizabeth.

"He has. The Oh-So-Great-Captain would like to reiterate his prior request. Weigh the bloody anchor, William." There was a slightly peeved tone creeping into Jack's voice now, and Will knew him well enough to know the breaking point. He left the Captain, muttering.

"What's this about weighing anchor, Jack? There be no land in sight fer a hundred miles!"

Jack just chuckled, stroking his beard.

"If I were you, I'd get on it now and ask questions later, old friend."

Gibbs gave him a strange look, but he did what he was told, hobbling away and yelling at the rest of the crew to help with the dropping.

Jack gave a grin, chuckling under his breath.

"Five... four... three... two..." Suddenly, a shadow loomed over them-- just as the metal dropped out of their hands, a cliff face loomed up above them at an almost impossible rapid pace. Jack shook his head, squaring his shoulders and rooting himself to the deck. "I hate this part." He turned the wheel sharply.

"Hold on everyone!"

Everyone was thrown to the side of the boat as it turned hard away from the wall of rock. Will's heart stopped for a second, ready for impact, for the boat and everything in it to be smashed to pieces all over the unforgiving stone; just in time, the ship slowed to a halt and gently bumped against the small wooden dock that jutted out from the grey.

"Eunuch, you come with me, Gibbs, you stay. Assess the damage, see what we need, and keep them from drinking the rum." With that, the captain tossed a rope over the side and shimmied down it onto the dock, Will close behind with his eyes on the dismally narrow flight of stairs that were carved into the rock face.

"We're climbing up that?"

"Fraid so, mate."

There was silence for a few moments as they walked up the steep steps.

"Jack?"

"Hmm."

"Where are we?"

There was another silence.

"Home."

Will paused. While that was lovely and sentimental, it didn't tell him an awful lot about their.... erm, _geographical_ location.

"Where's home?"

"Recife."

"And...where's that?"

"Pernambuco."

"And... where's _that_?"

"Brazil."

There was another pause, punctuated only by the click and shuffle of shoe leather on stone.

"Jack?"

"Shut up, William."

* * *

_"Ah, Boa tarde, Senhor!"_

_"Senhor Capitão, Senhor Capitão! Are you staying now?"_

_"Ah, Capitão? Here to see the Senhora? They were just at the house, houve uma grande explosão--"_

The people were all around Jack and Will, yelling at the older man with a great, excited vigor. Jack pushed his way through, looking slightly peeved as he attempted to stride through the place untouched.

"Yes, yes, _boa tarde_ and all that_,_ NO, god in heaven I'm not staying, and _yes,_ I _am_ going to see her but no, I don't care about any big explosions. We're going anyway! _Adeus_."

"Jack?"

"Not the time, boy, not the time."

Jack's determined stride reinforced the edge to his voice-- Will remained silent as they walked through the town, people dropping off as they got farther and farther away from the hubbub where they had first entered.

After a few minutes on a worn, rocky path, a little yellow house began to appear around the corner; Jack began to walk faster, increasing in speed so that he was almost running by the time he got to the door. His hand was shaky, Will noticed, as it lifted towards the knob; it paused midway.

"William?"

"Yes?"

"Do me a favour--please don't speak."

And with that parting note and a deep breath, Jack opened the door only to find...

* * *

A dark, empty room. After a moment, Will's eyes adjusted from the bright South American sun and realized it was not empty at all. There was a table, and a kitchen, and a girl-- couldn't have been much older than ten, sitting, eating a banana and looking at the two of them with a mild sort of interest. The Captain brightened.

"Celia, darling, how are you? Been a good girl? I'm Captain Jack, you probably don't kn--"

"I do, _Capitão."_ She looked up at the two men, plainly.

"You're the reason everything bad happens," she said complacently, taking another bite of her banana and giving the men another look. "Is this your evil sidekick?"

"Ah. You've been listening to your mother then. Good girl," he muttered, ignoring her question; Will was suddenly glad for his mandated silence.

"If Mama's who you're looking for, she's in there." She pointed to a door painted bright blue. "But I wouldn't go in if I were you. She's _muito_ angry because something went wrong. Can it not wait, _Capitão?_"

"No, Cel, love, it can't. Besides, it's alright this way-- she's already mad at me when I go in so it can't be much worse when I get out. Only one way, love."

He grinned widely, winking as he leaped over to the door and thrust it open.

It was like nothing Will had ever seen before. A room entirely of glass, with spidery silver pipes dripping water onto the plants that covered the tables. Cabinets with ampoules and delicately labeled vials towered over him as he followed the Captain, slightly dazed by the strangeness of it all-- a burst of swearing cut through his thoughts, and he swiveled his head to try and find the source.

A blonde head shot up and his eyes met hers. Her face wrinkled for a moment before she turned, presumably to look at the other intruder. Her eyes widened, landing on Jack, and she backed into a table, clutching the edges for a moment. She looked almost frightened, quite honestly, and Will was just about to drag the Captain away by force when she disappeared back under the table, stony-faced.

"Go away."

"Adelaide, I--"

"_Adelina_."

"Addy, just hear me out for a second before--"

"Go away, Jack." The woman stood up, brushing her hands on her smudged apron; the captain refused to relent.

"Look Addy, love, I know the last person you want to see is me, but--"

"Jonathan Sparrow, I told you to go _away._ Now please, just... just leave, Jack." The woman was like a sail in a gust of wind-- a sudden intake, a little push... followed by a quick and disappointing deflation. She rubbed her temples, walking towards them for the first time; Will gasped. There was a long scar running up her arm, from the edge of her wrist to what looked like past her dress sleeve. She turned her glance to Will, and he immediately straightened.

"I'm sorry, whoever you are. I can't help you with your task, but I wish you the best of luck. If you'd like to re-stock, Jack, I'll--" she stopped mid sentence, and the two men followed her gaze. The girl from the front room, her daughter, was standing in the door, with the same strange look on her face.

"Yes, Celia?"

"Mama, I... have a question."

"Ask, baixinho."

"He is a bad man, yes?" She gestured towards Jack, and the two older people allowed themselves a grin.

"Of a sort, sim."

"So if it was the Bad Men that took Papai away and now the Bad Men are here, does that mean Papai is here too?"

The awful truth of what she was really asking hit Will after a few minutes, and he blinked in both shock and sympathy. The woman covered her mouth, tears already spilling over her hand. She made to say something, uncovering her mouth; but the girl beat her to it.

"He's not ever going to be here again, is he, Mama."

The barely contained sniffle in her voice broke Will's heart, and he grieved for her, thinking of Elizabeth and _her_ father and the kind of pain...

"No, _baixinho_. I'm afraid not. I...No."

"Thank you Mama. I'm sorry I... interrupted you." A little falter, there, but a flash of steel from her small face and she closed the door. The woman... (Adelaide, was it?) sniffled a bit, drying her eyes.

Jack's face was inscrutable, and Adelaide stared at him tentatively; after a moment, he finally spoke, quieter and more serious than Will had ever seen.

"And just when, Mrs. Araci, were you planning to tell me he had died?"

"I wasn't. To be honest, I didn't think I was ever going to see you again so that didn't seem like a pressing concern to me--"

"I was his best friend, Addy, and--"

"And you left him! You left him when he needed the _most_ help, you left us! We didn't stand a chance, not for long. Cristóvão knew that, and I warned him, but..." she trailed off angrily, wiping tears fruitlessly from her face. Jack sighed, rubbing his own temples.

"What happened, Adelaide?" She shook her head, walking towards a small table and gesturing to the men to sit down. Will accepted with a grateful nod, but Jack refused, pacing as she sunk into the chair as well.

"There was a war, a clash between the rich and richer, and you know Cristózinho. He was tired of fighting another man's war, and the town agreed. He left on a peaceful mission, whistling; he came back on an ox-cart. They shot him in the back."

There was a semi awkward silence, Jack's constant step providing a sort of rhythm.

"How long ago?"

These were loaded questions, Will could sense it-- one of them would explode or deflate soon, he could _feel _it.

"Six months, maybe seven. Oh, _damn_ _you_, Jack, why didn't you just go away when I told you to!" She stomped her foot, and he shrugged a very uncharacteristic shrug.

"It's never been one of my strong points, that," he said with a small grin, and she shook her head, giving an almost incredulous laugh.

So it was the deflate option.

"Please, just... why did you come? What do you want from me?" As she spoke, Will could see the captain glisten back up, grinning slightly.

"Whelp. Up." It was a moment before Will registered that Jack was talking to him, and he shot up out of the chair, narrowly missing the table edge.

"Adelaide, love, may I present to you the fabulous, lovable, lovely Mr. Turner. Along with his many other talents, i.e. rescuing damsels from evil fates, he's also great with pointy dangerous things, aren't you, _William._"

Her head shot up, eyes brown and unreadable as they roved over the younger man; he flinched, uncomfortable.

"As in..."

"Of course."

She looked from Jack to Will, biting her lip. She finally stood up after a moment, reluctantly shaking her head.

"Let's go into the kitchen. I'll make us a pot of tea and we can talk over this..." she sighed, staring at the closed door. "This.... proposition."

* * *

_Ah, Boa tarde, Senhor!- _Good afternoon Sir!

_Senhor Capitão, Senhor Capitão!-_ Mister Captain, Mister Captain!

_houve uma grande explosão-- _There was a big explosion--

_Adeus-_ goodbye

_muito- _very

_Adelina- _the Portuguese version of Adelaide

_Sim_- yes

_baixinho_- a term of endearment for a child or something one takes care of

_Cristózinho_- an endearing way to say her husband, Cristóvão's name, with the suffix -zinho/sinho. Would have been a nickname used by those close to him.


	2. Chapter 2

"You're insane."

The tea was almost cold at this point; Adelaide and Jack had been talking together for over an hour and a half, sometimes in English, sometimes not. Whatever he had just said though, it did not make her look happy.

"You know it's funny, love, because everyone thinks I am, when really, I'm far from it..."

"No. This time, you have lost your mind. Pouf. Gone. Jack, and please, answer me honestly because I think I could learn from this, why on earth you thought I would agree with you."

"Celia needs her mother whole--"

"Oh don't _pull _the parent card with me Jack, you're the last to--"

"Love, shut up and hear me out, really." Jack made a gesture at her, waiting for the okay to continue; she nodded with a sigh, and he moved on. "Right. So see, love, Celia needs her mum whole, yeah? Free of entrapments and holdings and debts to be repaid and whatnot."

"Go on."

"You have, in front of you," Jack gave Will a sidelong glance, barely noticeable; but Will saw it and inwardly groaned. He knew this would involve his own demise someway or another. "The tools with which to, perhaps, strike a bargain, and at the same time, get back at the one person you and I both know would be better... dead."

She gave Jack an unexpectedly thoughtful look before turning to Will. "Did you know I knew your mother?"

Will started, shocked by the conversation's sudden turn as well as her words. "I beg your pardon?"

"I knew your mother. Your mother was a great friend of my chamber maid growing up-- she was one of the people I looked up to. I knew you too; I can remember you, but only as Marian's son, not as the young man you are now, obviously."

It clicked, then, why her face had looked so familiar-- she was the woman that had helped him after his mother's death, the kind lady who had gotten him passage on a ship and given him money for the journey and...

"I knew you looked familiar!" he said finally, shaking his head, and she grinned.

"Well, I'm glad you did get off alright, anyhow. Me and Annabel were a bit worried, but she said... doesn't matter. Anyway, what Jack's saying, or not saying, I suppose, is that a very long time ago, your family did my family a very great good, and we have been struggling to repay that debt for many years now."

"Is that why you helped me try and find my father?"

"Not totally, no, but it didn't hurt your case. We thought you had died, though, when that merchant ship blew up."

"How did you know I was on that ship?"

"More tea?" She stood up quickly and began walking back towards the kitchen, pot in hand, almost spilling on the blonde-haired girl who fell towards her as the door opened.

"Celia!" She scolded, and although the little girl had the decency to look ashamed, Will snorted behind his hand. She had obviously been listening behind the door.

"I want to go."

"Que?"

"I want to do whatever you and the Capitão are going to do."

"Ai, bad girl, you were listening on the other side of the door, weren't you."

"I want to go with you."

"Não."

"Sim, Mama! I am old enough now, I can do what it is. I am not a baby, not anymore, não pequena."

"Baixinho. You're eleven-and-a-half."

"Por favor."

"May I interject that I agree with the young mistress?"

"No. Jack, she can't go, and that's final." She sounded final, too, and everyone in the room knew it-- there was a collective sigh.

Celia's eyes filled with tears, and she fled the room; Adelaide shook her head, turning back and placing the teapot back on the table.

"You know, Addy, I think that thing you told me about not having children was an excellent idea."

"It took you this long to figure that out." She looked a bit weary as she sat back down; her long brown hair fanned out over her hands as she took it out of her ponytail, rubbing her temples.

"I just don't know what to do, Jack. I want her to come with us, I really do. She can't stay in this place, not alone... God _damn _it all!" She swore vehemently, and Will blinked. There was a silence-- Will hurried to change the subject.

"So this deal from long ago-- the ones that our families had together--do you have any idea what it might entail? For either of us?"

"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure. But see, that, that louco Capitão, he knows. So it seems that unfortunately, for either of us to get what out of it, I have to know what it is, whichwill require Jack's help, and... let me guess, Jack, the only way would be to accompany you on this little adventure."

"Your intelligence has always been your most attractive feature."

She sighed, obviously resigned to whatever and whereever they were going, shaking her head. Will opened his mouth to speak again, hoping the conversation wouldn't turn back to the young girl again-- but unfortunately, she sighed and went on.

"What _am_ I going to do about Celia? I can't just leave her here, she's barely into double digits _and _she just lost her father; am I supposed to tell her that she has to stay with someone she doesn't know so that I can go gallivanting across the oceans for God knows how long?"

"That would be utterly convenient if you did so."

"Sorry, darling, not going to happen."

"Send her to your brother."

"Oh yes, Jack, that's an excellent idea. I'll just go right up and knock on the front door, shall I? 'Hello, brother. I know you've tried to kill me every time you've seen me, but in the interest of you know, family ties and burying the hatchet and such, I figured I'd leave my little girl with you while I frolic off with the only person you hate more than me.' Yes. What a brilliant plan, Jack. I can't imagine why I hadn't thought of it before."

Jack pouted, sipping his cold tea with a forlorn gaze. "You don't have to be so snippy with me, love. I was only thinking—"

"Well you better think harder, Jonathan Sparrow, because without her taken care of, I'm not leaving this house."

He downed the insipid liquid with a grimace, rubbing the tightly wound bandage on his hand as he thought for a moment.

"What about Tia's?"

"Tia who?"

"Dalma's, idiot."

"Hmm. That's a possibility. Is there a need to go there, though? And what about payment?"

The captain looked at Will, back at Adelaide and then at Will again before dragging the woman over to a corner of the room and ducking down, turning his back to Will as he messed with the bandage on his hand. Will couldn't see what he had shown her, but it must have been alarming-- she gasped, shuddering.

"Thirteen years already?"

"Fraid so, love."

"You're the idiot." She gave another long-suffering sigh.

"Well, I suppose that'll work. She'd better not end up as payment for anything, though, I'm warning you. I don't want to come back and find my daughter wearing scandalous dresses and married to a longshoreman with no teeth and a parrot."

She stood up, taking the teapot with her and slamming the door open in front of her to her wide-eyed daughter, sitting on the floor.

"Pack only what you need, Celia. We leave in two hours."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry about the weirdness of the Tia-speak. It's relatively understated, but I think it's not the worst i've ever seen. Enjoy!-Ai

* * *

Jack was not happy.

Not happy at all.

He had gone home expecting welcome-- perhaps a little reprimand on Adelaide's part, that was unavoidable, certainly-- but a happy home, the bright, lime-scented Pernambucan refuge that he had left ten years ago.

He watched Adelaide chase Celia around the ship, dodging his crew and supply boxes. Ten years-- Celia had been barely a year old, the last time he had seen her. His goddaughter. Now, she was eleven and more, not much older than Jack was when he had first met Addy and Sam.

Sam.

Sam had been his brother-- his rival, perhaps, and his greatest frustration, but his brother nonetheless, and they had promised each other their lives. Jack had promised to return-- to be a part of Celia's life, to stop the running and the lying and the constant dodging. But that too, turned out to be a lie, and now Sam was dead, and Jack wouldn't be able to apologize for all the wrongs that he had committed, all of the awful things he'd done that Sam never would know.

And the women. Addy. He wasn't sure there was an expletive that could describe what he knew she was feeling. Sam had been her soulmate; Jack had been as well, in another time and in a different way, but not like Sam was. There was always a... sameness of thought that Addy and Sam had, a sameness that had eventually stifled Jack enough to make him flee.

And now he was back, but Sam was dead, and Adelaide was... different. Celia was the only one who had stayed even remotely the same, and that was only because Jack had barely known her when he left.

Change had been chasing Jack ever since he'd left, and now that he'd returned, he could taste it; a bitter, salty spray without the wind and sun to dry it.

Disgusting, really. How something he loved could turn into his worst enemy.

As he turned towards the inlet that held the power, the one witch that could help, Jack couldn't help but remember the last time he'd visited her, and he sighed, readying himself for contact with the outside world.

He had spent a very, very long time running away from the decisions he'd made.

No longer.

* * *

The Black Spot was growing stronger, Jack could feel it-- could see the recognition and fear in the jungle people's eyes as they held the candles that would ward off the deep sea magic. He let himself savour the small moment of peace before turning to Gibbs.

"Mind the Boat."

"Mind the Boat."

"Mind the Boat."

"Squawk, Mind the Boats."

Jack grinned as he walked into the dark, dank hut, the musty smells of dried herbs and decaying flesh lacing the damp air. The equally dark woman looked up through her lashes at him, smiling coyly.

"Tia Dalma, love."

"Jack Sparro'. I always knew de wind would blow ya back to me one day," she said with a curtsey, and Jack winced.

"Here I am."

Her eyes suddenly flashed to Will, recognition sparking as she glanced back to Jack, and he groaned inwardly. She knew now.

"You!" She seized the young man, searching his face quickly, desperately. She would find what was there. "Dere is a touch of destiny about you."

"Do I know you?" Jack almost smacked his head. The impertinence.

"Do you want to know me?"

Jack seized the moment to divert her attention, attempting to play the jealous ex-lover (a part he knew well), but a quick barrage of hushed Portuguese ruined it; Tia's eyes flicked to the two woman standing in the back. Her eyes flashed.

"Adelina."

"Tia Dalma. Lovely to see you, as always."

"I wish I could se de same. You dere to come back after refusing my help?" Tia's chest was heaving, indignant; Adelaide thrust forward her daughter, who was looking up at the foreign woman unabashedly.

"Who is de girl?"

"My daughter. Celia. Jack needs my assistance, and we were wondering-- well, more hoping-- that you would watch over her while we're gone."

"Your 'usband cannot do dis?"

"My husband is dead, Tia."

Tia blinked for a moment, staggering back into the table as the entire room watched, intrigued.

"I am sorry, chil'. De stars did not show me dis tragedy. How old is de girl?"

"I'm eleven-and-a-half, Senhora."

Tia looked down at the tiny blond girl, giving her a small smile.

"Of course, chil'." She looked up at Adelaide.

"I will take dis one. I only ask dat I may teach her what I could not teach her fadder." Tia Dalma grinned up at Jack and Adelaide; the woman sighed, obviously reluctant.

"Agreed."

"Fantastic! Agreed! Now on to the real problem." Jack steered the river priestess to her seat, shaking his head as she gave him an admonishing glance.

"I demand pement. De girl is for charity."

"And payment we have brought, Tia." He bowed, flapping his hand behind him to get the pirates to bring the cage. "There you are, love. An undead monkey. Top that."

Everyone held their breath as she inspected the cage, the monkey alternately glaring and squeaking in protest. She gave a satisfied half-nod before letting the monkey go amid protests from the crew; she turned back to Jack.

"Now I will see." She held out her hand, and Jack fumbled around in his layers of clothes before finally drawing out a worn, folded cloth. She raised her eyebrow.

"Your compass cannot show you dis?" She asked, grinning with blackened teeth; Jack's silence affirmed her answer.

"Jack Sparra' does not know what he wants. Or does he know... but is loat to claim it as his own?" Her eyes flickered, barely, towards the woman and child behind him, and he sighed.

He would never claim it as his own.


	4. Chapter 4

"Milord, I have some fascinating news."

"Do you? Pray tell."

"Bad news first, sir. The governer's daughter has escaped."

"If you had only arrived a few minutes earlier, Mr. Mercer, that specific detail would have been made painfully clear."

"The girl was-My deepest apologies, milord, if I had known, I-"

"It is of little importance now. Her escape has not ruined my plans at all. What other news do you bring me?"

"Sir, a ship was spotted near Belem. Going _up _the river."

"Oh?"

"Sparrow's ship, sir. Mr. Turner was also aboard, as well as another woman."

"Oh. I see."

"Milord, our agents in Recife confirm that both her and the child left Pernambuco with Mr. Sparrow."

Cutler Beckett turned to face the full moon, unable to restrain the smirk rising on his lips.

"How... convenient."

* * *

Jack left Tia's in a significantly better mood than when he had entered. He had a plan, a heading, and a jar of dirt.

The only thing marring his peace was the wailing that had commenced as soon as Adelaide had left her daughter. First was the sniffling, then the sobbing and moaning, then... ugh. It was ridiculous.

"Is it going to stop anytime soon, Gibbs?"

The elder man peered at the woman, who had been comforted by almost every man on the ship and worn each of them out, in turn, and currently wailing into a crate of rum.

"I doubt it, Captain."

Jack sighed. "Must I do _everything _myself?" He walked over to his old friend, squaring his jaw.

"Adelaide, you are being absurd. Please stop this this... emotiony-whatsit you're doing and help."

At that, she began to wail harder, and Jack looked up at the ceiling.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this."

He sighed again, and with that, raised his hand and slapped Adelaide across the face. Will rushed over, aghast.

"For God's SAKE, Jack! That was low, even for you! Ma'am, are you alri- Ma'am?"

Her crumpled form was shaking- but as Will's hand touched her shoulder, her face came up, and her eyes were clear. She was laughing.

"You are a good man, William, better than the both of us..." she said, sighing. "I'm afraid I needed that. Where's my equipment, Jack?"

"In my cabin, as you asked, bloody woman." She nodded briskly to both of them, patting Will on the cheek fondly before disappearing below deck, and the Captain rolled his eyes.

"Women. Mad, the whole lot of them." He turned his gaze to Will. "Go down there and keep an eye on her, you."

"But Elizabe-"

"We won't be in a position to save your dear darling Lizzie for a while yet, and it would be in your best interest, whelp, to make sure Addy doesn't do anything to me Pearl, savvy?"

Will didn't condescend to respond.

* * *

"Ma'am? Erm... Adelaide, Miss- Heavens."

Once again, Will was shocked by her lack of propriety, (her dress was halfway unfastened, dark hair unkempt) and the woman turned her head.

"Oh, hello, William." She rubbed her eyes and adjusted her clothes. "Sorry about up there, Celia always gets me a little... over-emotional. Now what is it you need, _peixota_?"

"Er... Jack sent me to keep an eye on you. Where did all of these... things come from?" He gestured to the flasks strewn across the room, and she shrugged.

"Why do you think the man brought me here. These are the tools of my trade, boy. Now would you mind helping me bolt down these tables so that I can _really _set up? Grab those leather belts and lay them across the feet there, if you please. Good, now if you'll just grab those bolts we can start working," she said, handing him a strange apparatus as he gave her the metal fasteners.

"Take this, hold it firmly, yes, just like that. Now put the bolt in and turn. Excellent! Now we're getting somewhere."

Will was done quickly- the thing in his hand bolted down and fastened the leather much more efficiently than the usual hammer- he gave the unusual tool back to her admiringly.

She smiled up at him. "Like this, do you? Me too. It was a gift from a friend who went traveling up in the mountains. He met some people there, natives, and they gave him this- well, something like it, in any case. He made a few modifications before I got hold of it." She put it under the bed and grinned, standing back up as she dusted the dirt off of her skirt.

"Thank you, my love. It's nice to have some help here that _isn't _someone I trust less than Sa- that dreaded pirate."

"Jack isn't all that bad, is he?"

"Hmm? No, no he's not, I was... forgive me," she said, laying out glass beakers and vials of brilliantly coloured solutions. "When you are old, like I am, you forget even the words that pass your own lips."

A silence settled, Adelaide laying out her workspace while Will watched, unsure of what to do. He could never stand quiet.

"What are all of these things for?" She looked up at him squarely, his voice sharp against the sea-sounds that permeated the cabin.

"My work, of course. Why do you think I'm here?" She asked, shaking her head. Will shrugged, and she rolled her eyes in response.

"I am what is called a naturalist."

"A what?"

"A naturalist. I study natural history. Plants, animals, if it's alive, then I look at it."

"So you're a scientist."

"Yes."

"But, I mean... no offense, Ma'am, but how can you be?"

"I just am." He shuffled his feet, inspecting them devotedly; she sighed.

"You mean because I'm a woman?" He nodded, and she shrugged her shoulders, the dark brown blades protruding as she set her jaw.

"I was taught by the same private tutors as my brother- both of our parents placed great value in a fully educated young woman. Even when my brother went to school in Portugal at _Universidade de Coimbra, _he would send letters transcribing his adventures and send home the books he learned from."

"But- how?"

"I just learned... there is so much out there we do not know, young William, and it is my duty to share it with the world. I could say nothing with a woman's name, so I published under Cristozinho's name, always. There are places you could go where they would mourn my husband's death as a loss to science." She spoke passively, eyes not moving from the table before her, and yet Will felt a great and powerful sadness overwhelm him.'

"I... I'm sorry for your loss."

"Oh, don't say that, you idiot, it just makes me want to hit you," she said, looking mildly irritated before she turned her back to him. "Now are you going to help this lady unpack or not?"


	5. Chapter 5

"So," Adelaide asked, taking a sip of tea. Her and the Turner boy had just finished packing, and she decided to make tea with the beaker to celebrate. "Why are you here?"

"I thought you knew. Wasn't that what you and Jack were talking about?"

"Huh? Oh no. That was something completely different." She snorted a bit into her tea. "So what is your plan, young one?"

William leaned a little closer, growing enthusiastic. "Not long ago I was helping our," he glanced back. "_friend _Mr. Sparrow escape from the gallows-"

"not the most unusual occurence"

"-apparently. So my fiance and I were pardoned by her father, the governor-"

"-well that's convenient-"

"-most. However, less than a week ago, the new lord of Port Royal took back the pardons and arrested us on the charge of aiding and abetting-"

"Ugh. Of course."

"Exactly..." He looked off somewhere into the distance. "It was to be my wedding day."

"Goodness, that's even more heartless than I thought."

"He offered my freedom in exchange for the compass." Will felt a familiar welling of anger, and he took a quick sip of tea. The woman had enough problems without dealing with his own anger.

"Jack's compass?"

"Yes. He had Letters of Marque." Adelaide's eyebrow raised slightly.

"_REALLY_. Those are not that easy to come by, even for a governor."

"Yes, well, no doubt the great Lord Beckett received them through some ill means."

He looked at her, but her eyes were far away, her face turned to stone.

"Did you say Beckett, William?"

He nodded, surprised at her sudden change in demeanor.

"Yes. Lord Cu...Co..."

"Cutler. Lord Cutler Beckett."

"Yes." Will nodded vigorously.

"And Jack knows this."

"I assume he does."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, I told him- Miss... erm... wait, please. _Adelaide!"_

Will called after her, but the door had already violently clanged backwards, her hair whipping madly. Will rushed after her, but she would not stop for a moment, and he had to run to keep up with the pace of her stomp.

"JONATHAN!" A bellow quite unlike anything Will had ever heard from a woman burst forth- every head on the ship turned simultaneously.

Except, of course, for Jack's.

"JONATHAN SPARROW!" She stalked up to the helm, where Will could already see the Captain panicking, trying to find a way out. Will felt an odd satisfaction in the knowledge that there wasn't one.

In a moment, she was next to Jack, and he grimaced, attempting to smile at the furious woman towering over him.

"Adelaide, love, I thought you were going to go set up downstairs, I asked the whelp to help you, do you still need something?" Jack looked past Adelaide to stare accusingly at Will, but the younger man put his hands up. He had done nothing.

"Jack?"

"Hmmm?"

"Who was the person who created the need for this little adventure?"

"I don't understand what you're trying to get at, darlin'. Do you want-"

"Don't try and sweet talk me. Who was the one that imprisoned the boy?"

Will was mildly indignant at being called a boy, but the look of utter horror on the great Captain Jack Sparrow's face was _more_ than worth it.

"Oh," Jack toyed with a dreadlock, his voice miniscule. "So I guess you talked to William then."

"OF COURSE I TALKED TO HIM, YOU MORON! SEE, _NORMAL_ PEOPLE, TALK TO OTHER _NORMAL_ PEOPLE, AND WHEN THEY TALK, THEY FIND OUT THINGS THAT GENERALLY ARE DEEMED IMPORTANT. HOW _COULD _YOU? _CUTLER_? OUT OF ALL THE PEOPLE, YOU DRAG ME OUT OF _MY _HOME AND AWAY FROM _MY _CHILD TO HELP _HIM?"_

"Well, love, helping him is about the farthest thing I would like to accomplish on this..._bonny_ expedition-"

"BUT IT'LL HELP HIM, YOU KNOW THAT, IT _ALWAYS _HELPS HIM, AND...AND..." Adelaide was apparently too furious to speak any longer, and with a quick spit on the Captain's face, she stomped back down to her quarters- within moments the sounds of glass breaking and wood splintering were heard.

He looked around at the crew, most of them still reeling slightly from the maelstrom that was the tiny woman. He glared.

"What are you lot looking at! Don't you have jobs to do?" He turned on his heel. "Gibbs, take the wheel while I control the demon downstairs."Jack looked at Will pointedly, letting an irritable sigh escape him.

"Is it too much to ask that every once in a while, whelp, you keep your oversized mouth shut?"

* * *

By the time Jack went downstairs, it was deathly quiet...

It scared him more than anything.

"Adelaide... Addy?" The instant he'd opened the door, he wished he hadn't. Glass was strewn all over the place- her books were open, obviously thrown with some force at the wall.

Even worse, though, was the woman in question. Her hair was splayed across the pillows, unkempt, bedclothes pushed to the side.

She was deathly quiet.

"Addy, Addy, are you awake?" He went towards her with silent steps, but the sudden blast of utter hatred that he felt pouring off of her stopped him in his tracks.

He should have told her, perhaps, but she would not have come. Cutler Beckett was a ghost, a memory of both a better and more terrible time, and he had known that Adelaide would not have approved of them doing business.

"How could you." It was a statement, not a question.

"In my defense love, I feel terrible."

She pushed herself up from the bed, her hair a black curtain, and swiveled slowly to give him a glare that still, after all these years, made him shiver to his bones.

"He will win, you know that. He always does. He will push us into subservience, make us all a part of his little plan to dominate. We are nothing but pawns to him."

"As he is to us, Addy."

"The difference is that he will win."

"You keep saying that. Both Beckett and I can have an agreement that is mutually... beneficial. It's not a contest, Adelaide."

She leveled her eyes at him once more.

"Isn't it?"


End file.
